Major economic partners meet at forum today
14.05.2009
Seychelles’ main economic partners come together today at a major forum to be attended by nearly 100 people at the International Conference Centre.
President James Michel will open the forum, after which the partners will get a chance to listen to presentations on what we are doing to reform the economy. People will have a chance to ask questions during what the Ministry of Finance termed “an information sharing session”.
“Seychelles will be able to follow the economic reform programme if we have the partnership with and support of the international community, together with our local partners,” Finance Minister Danny Faure said when announcing the meeting last week.
“The Seychelles Forum will help improve the dialogue among key players in the economy, which will help Seychelles move along the framework of the economic reform programme.”
Principal secretary for finance Ahmed Afif said the idea is to present the facts when everybody is in one room listening to one presentation in a way that has not been possible before.
“We want to share ideas so all those who have a vested interest in Seychelles, whether they are based here or abroad, know what is planned in the years ahead and therefore fine-tune their own programmes to what they see being implemented,” he said.
“This will be a very good networking opportunity for everyone. It will also allow an exchange of ideas, and the government will be able to assess what the private sector feels about all these reforms that are happening.
“It will also be a time when, in the presence of the government, people can put questions to the multilateral organisations and say what they think about the reforms, for example if they think the reforms are sustainable or not.”
He said representatives of the government, Central Bank, private sector businesses, multilateral bodies like regional and international banks, countries that have lent us money through bilateral pacts and some commercial creditors will take part in the forum.
Key partners there will include the International Monetary Fund, the African Development Bank and the World Bank, along with local partners such as the Seychelles Association of Offshore Practitioners and Registered Agents and the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
They will all report on developments in the economic reform programme and its current impact on the country.